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Discover Ochlocknee

Our Town Today

First chartered in 1877, then incorporated in 1970, the City of Ochlocknee is home to approximately 700 citizens in Thomas County, GA. We celebrate our heritage with Old South Day, a food and arts and crafts festival we have celebrated every year since 1976. The members of our community enjoy a peaceful rural life, and we welcome visitors to our homes and businesses. 

In town, we have a post office, library, city hall, fire house and community civic club. Surrounding the city limits are numerous farms, pecan groves, hunting plantations and rural tracts. The township sits just 15 minutes from downtown Thomasville, GA, the county seat. Close-by industries include Thomasville's industrial district as well as large nearby companies like Oil-Dri, which sits just outside the city limits. In town, we are home to many locally-owned businesses like George's IGA, T&J's Country Store, Vacavia Homes, Griffin Laundry, Chastain Automotive Repair Service, Jeff's Auto Parts, Sharons Beauty Shop, Freeman's Cabinet Shop, Precision Door, Fenns Tax & Bookkeeping, and Billy's Place Steaks & Seafood.

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Local Utilities & Amenities

The City of Ochlocknee has a city hall, fire house, post office, library, and civic club. Trash pickup is every Monday 8am-5pm. A security team also provides town patrol from 8pm-5am.

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Discover Ochlocknee

Our History

The Mississippi Mound Builders were among the earliest people to live in the Ochlocknee area, following the hunter/gather period. They were part of the Leon-Jefferson Culture of native peoples, distinguished by the kinds of materials used in pottery as well as distinct local practices, among which were controlled burns meant to stave off wildfires—a practice continued in modern land management in our region. These were the people living in our area when the Spanish explorers arrived in the 1500's. They later became known as the Apalachee tribe. They later joined with other indigenous groups throughout Florida to become the Seminole nation.

While the first settlers began to move into the Ochlocknee area as early as the 1810's, the first formal settlement was in the 1860's. Our town was chartered in 1877, when the railroad was laid through the center of town. It was later incorporated in 1970. 

What does Ochlocknee mean?

Our Name

Ochlocknee takes its name from the nearby Ochlocknee River. Many people thought Ochlocknee meant "crooked waters." However, the name "Ochlocknee" comes from two different words in the Apalachee language—"Okee" meaning water and "Lagana" meaning yellow. The northern parts of the river, including our area, run through clay-rich soil, which gives the Ochlocknee River its muddied yellow appearance. 

A Video of our History

Thank you to the Thomasville History Center for this video from Meme who explores the roots, pronunciations, and many spellings of "Ochlocknee," as well as a little of our history.

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